


Down by the River

by NightCountess0415



Category: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Genre: Deo-dad in full effect, Fishing, Gen, I can’t humanize this demon of a man but he will brag on his daughter!, Sarah Bellows age 5 is a serious little bean, Sarah loves her family horses!, This is my Father’s Day contribution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 09:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24847435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightCountess0415/pseuds/NightCountess0415
Summary: In 1887, Deodat Bellows decides to take his 5-year old daughter Sarah on her first fishing adventure. It’s the only good memory Sarah may ever have of her bitter father.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Down by the River

**Down By the River**

One sunny weekend in June of 1887, Deodat Bellows was readying his fishing gear for a day of fishing at the river. He planned to take the boys, Ephraim and Harold but they wanted to go bike riding instead. Deodat was perplexed as to why the boys didn’t feel like fishing today, and it was a usual way of bonding with his sons. He wanted to teach them how to live off the land and survive in the wild. Hunting for food was another skill he wanted them to learn. But, as it was primarily for sport it wasn’t important to them…they were not quite as much the outdoorsmen as their father was. So Deodat was prepared to go alone. He loaded up the wagon and was just about to strap up the horses when the youngest Bellows child wandered into the stables. 5-year old Sarah Bellows had gotten out of the manor, unbeknownst to her mother and brothers. She was usually kept inside due to her albinism condition.

“Sarah, what are you doing out here? You know you are not allowed outside. Especially since it is so sunny out.” Deodat eyed his daughter sternly.

“I’m sorry, daddy! I didn’t mean to..” the child quietly replied. “I just wanted to come outside. The sun won’t hurt me.”

Deodat paused for a moment and sighed. He wondered if Delanie was looking for her. Maybe the tyke was bored? He thought for a moment that little Sarah just wanted to play outside like any other child. Surely a little adventure wouldn’t do any harm. He dusted his slacks and knelt down next to his daughter.

“I tell you what, how about going on a little fishing trip? Your brothers don’t want to come, but it would be a good lesson for ya, hmm?”

Sarah smiled and jumped in the air. 

“Yeah! I haven’t seen fishes! Eppy says they are slimy and wiggly like worms!” She giggled.

“Alright then, I’ll tell your mother..and I’ll tell Sylvie to get you into something more suitable. You can’t be out here with that frilly little dress on. You get that filthy, I’d never hear the end of it. You’ll need your hat too.” Deodat patted Sarah’s head.

She skipped inside, her father following. After a quick talk with Delanie (who reluctantly agreed to allow Sarah an outing) and Sylvie, Sarah was dressed in a pair of Ephraim’s old slacks and button-down shirt. Her platinum hair put up in a braid to keep it away from her face. Once Deodat had one last fishing pole in the wagon, they were off.

The ride to the river wasn’t short. It took approximately a half-hour to reach by horse drawn wagon. Deodat made sure to be equipped. The father-daughter pair had sandwiches and fruit packed for a lunch and two large flasks filled with water. Sarah’s hat was over her head to protect from the sun, and sunglasses to protect her bright blue eyes. Curious townspeople observed Sarah, and some whispered amongst themselves when they rode through Mill Valley. They had stopped to get feed for the horses. A group of children were heard laughing, but Deodat was quick to keep his daughter away from other children. She stared at them, wondering what they found so funny. One boy of about 10 years old pointed at her.

“Look! A clown girl!! A pasty white clown girl!! Freak!!” The boy laughed. 

The other children joined in, but Deodat grabbed Sarah and headed back to the wagon. Just what he didn’t want, a spectacle. The last thing Deodat Bellows needed as the son of Mill Valley’s founder was the town’s children making a freak show out of his daughter. It wasn’t common to see such a pale girl, and it was a shameful secret the Bellows family harbored. But once they left town, all was quiet. That was, until Sarah asked her father about the children back in town.

“Daddy, why did those older children call me a clown girl? Aren’t there other people like me? Other people who are pale?” She asked.

Deodat grumbled for a minute under his breath. Maybe the words he really wanted to say wasn’t there. This was a man who didn’t have the experience to encourage a small child with an abnormal condition.

“They’ve just never seen anyone like you, Sarah. Not many people are born with pale skin and hair like you.” He answered.

“But, then why were they laughing?” Came Sarah’s next question.

“Enough! No more questions. We are getting close to the river now.” Deodat replied sternly.

The wagon reached the banks of the river, Deodat’s pride and joy loomed in the far distance. The very reason why Mill Valley was called Mill Valley..the Bellows Paper Mill could be seen beyond the trees several miles down the river. Over 50 men of the township was employed there. The massive brick building towered the skyline, a testament to the Second Industrial Revolution. 

“Sarah, do you see that big building?”Deodat asked his daughter.

“Yes, Daddy! That’s where Eppy says you work. He says Harold will work there one day too!” The 5-year old answered.

“Exactly! That is our family’s fortune. A bright beautiful place, isn’t it?” Deodat beamed, roping the horses to nearby trees, and filling pans with water and feed. He patted Dexter, the larger horse on the head. Grady, the smaller horse whinnied in protest.

“Now, let’s get to fishing!” He smiled, lifting Sarah out of the wagon. He dusted her off and handed her the smallest fishing pole. He took the longer fishing pole and the bait. Sarah was much interested in petting Dexter and Grady, which Deodat allowed only for a minute.

They walked down the river banks and came to a clearing not too far from where the horses stood. Deodat carried Sarah part of the way because she was so small, the steep banks were a little hard for her to walk in. Once they settled in their spots, it was then time to show Sarah how to properly hook on the bait. This wasn’t at all a challenge, because unlike many other little girls Sarah was not afraid of worms.

“ _Is this child afraid of nothing at all?_ ” Deodat asked himself.

With the bait hooked, both father and daughter had their fishing poles cast out. It was hard telling when Sarah knew a fish was hooked. She knew to reel in the line when she felt a tug. Several times, she brought in the line thinking she had a fish only for a moss-covered worm to come up. Sometimes the worm was half eaten by a random fish that knew the trickery. Deodat was the first to reel in a small bluegill fish. He unhooked it, and tossed it back in the water. It certainly was much too small to keep. He hoped to bring home several catfish or largemouth bass, but he pondered his luck for the day. An hour seemed to go by before he about gave up on catching a big one. He broke out the sandwiches and fruit, and the pair enjoyed their lunch together. When they were finished, Deodat decided to give it another try with his current line. He muttered to himself about how clever fish must be, or maybe they had all swam up river.

“Daddy, I haven’t caught one yet.” Sarah said, sitting her pole down on a rock.

“I haven’t either..just that one bluegill. But let’s not waste the bait, the worms only live for so long.”

Sarah watched as her father cast out his line again, and wished she could be as precise and fast as he was. Then, out of the corner of her eye she noticed her pole moving.

“Daddy look! My pole is moving!” She ran to it, trying to grab it and got it just in time.

“Bring it in, Sarah! Bring it in slowly, but not too slow.” Deodat exclaimed.

The pole was tugging so fiercely and fast, it had to be a big fish on the other end. Sarah tugged and pulled, stepping back and pulled in the line. Then, splashing in the water was the official sign that something had been hooked. She could see a fishtail swishing. She tugged again, and pulled in the line.

“Lower the pole some, and not so fast, it will get away.”

The fish’s strength was great, this massive creature was going to put up a fight. Sarah tugged, it was nearly dragging her into the water. Deodat got up, and picked Sarah up from the ground. He took her pole and gave it a good yank to make sure the fish was hooked. He brought the line in, all the while the fish writhing and thrashing, splashing water everywhere.

“Get it, Daddy! That must be a really big fish!” She squealed.

Soon enough, the fish was brought to the surface. To Deodat’s amazement, what was on the other end of Sarah’s pole was the hugest catfish he had ever seen. He picked the hook out, and grabbed it by the mouth. It nearly was as long as Sarah was tall. He held it up and smiled.

“Now this big fella was what we came here for! Look at it, what a heck of a catch little lady!” 

Sarah giggled and squealed, so happy she had caught such a large catfish. She jumped up and down as her father put the fish in his large fishnet. This one was going to be eaten for sure. But just one wouldn’t make the meal. They had to catch a few more. But Deodat couldn’t help but be proud of his daughter at that moment. Indeed, a few more sizable fish were caught after another 2 hours of angling. Then finally it was getting later in the afternoon, so it was time to head back home. So they loaded up and went, all the while with Deodat beaming and bragging to some of his buddies in town about the catfish his little girl caught. Some of the men doubted it, but they took his word for it. When they got home, the bragging continued much to Delanie and Ephraim’s displeasure. It wasn’t common for Deodat Bellows to praise his youngest child, but it was one of the only times he did. The family enjoyed a fish dinner that night. For once, little Sarah Bellows had felt appreciation from her family.

But..11 years later that same river would be contaminated with runoff from the paper mill, sickening and killing many children in town.

Sarah would get the blame..


End file.
